Meet our Education Specialists: Ryan Goins

Ryan Goins is an education specialist at Center for Powerful Public Schools who received his teaching certificate right after college, citing a long-time love of teaching as his motivation.

“I had always liked my teachers growing up,” said Goins. “All of my best friends and people I knew growing up had parents who were teachers or administrators. There was always an interest that I wanted to pursue teaching.”

At the Center, he works with five schools (Orthopaedic Medical Magnet High School, Community Health Advocate School at Hawkins High School, Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine and Bravo Medical Magnet High School) to provide support and help implement a Linked Learning approach. This allows for the students to have a more well-rounded education experience, as they’re not only taking academic classes that are common core college prep, but also receiving career and technical experience through interdisciplinary projects.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in history and receiving his teaching certificate, Goins taught as a middle school and substitute teacher in Compton and was a founding faculty member of a grade 6-12 charter school.

His approach to education is one that focuses a lot of energy on project performance, adding that he believes that it is one of the best ways to get students inspired and involved with their learning.

“I’m really passionate about creativity and how people can use creativity in their day-to-day work,” said Goins. “This is why I’m kind of fascinated by the schools we work with in the medical pathways. There are so many different jobs people can do, and I think that for me, what makes school exciting is that it taps into every student’s individual creativity.”

He hopes to inspire those that he works with by helping teachers and their students realize their individual potentials when it comes to recognizing their own growth, even if the work that they’ve completed isn’t necessarily perfect.

“Ideally, I want teachers and administrators to be able to anticipate the issues that might come up when they’re trying to implement this [linked learning] approach, and for them to be able to problem solve or mediate their own thinking when it comes to deciding the right move,” said Goins.

Cailynn Knabenshue

Cailynn Knabenshue is a Communication Intern at Center for Powerful Public Schools. She produces digital content and research for the Center. Previously, she created digital content for the Los Angeles Times.